Four white papers round up lessons learned from SIS users in six countries

July 08, 2008

The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) publishes four white papers on major issues concerning the use of the Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) assessment tool with people with intellectual disabilities: Resource allocation; individual service plans; system-wide implementation; and the reliability of the Scale. The SIS is a unique assessment tool that allows disability professionals to plan services for a person with an intellectual disability in 85 life areas based on the specific needs of that individual. Currently, SIS has been adopted by 14 U.S. states, and translated into 10 languages.

“The AAIDD White Papers present current efforts, best practices, and benchmarks for evaluating future implementation efforts with the Supports Intensity Scale,” explains SIS co-author Robert Schalock, also co-editor of the White Papers. “The contributors were sought out because of their demonstrated success at implementing SIS.”

Since 2004, SIS has revolutionized disability services by offering the field a practical and positive tool to make community services and independent living a reality for people with intellectual disabilities. The Scale is arguably best known to shift the focus of service planning from what a person cannot do, to what s/he wants to do in life. One of the most vigorous applications of SIS has been in resource allocation or tying public funding for community services and supports to assessment results. The White Paper titled “Resource Allocation and the Supports Intensity Scale™” includes analyses from disability funding experts such as, Jon Fortune, Edward M. Campbell, Donald Severance, and the late Gary Smith. Further, it highlights the work of Louisiana, Washington, and the Arduin Foundation in the Netherlands on developing funding models based on SIS assessment scores. Read more and comment at http://www.siswebsite.org/cs/SISwhitepaper/Resourceallocation.

Using SIS information to create person-centered plans, which determine what activities a person wishes to participate in and what life experiences the person desires, is the focus of the White Paper titled, “Relating Supports Intensity Scale™ Information to Individual Service Plans”. The paper highlights Utah’s experience with the SISOnline system to stimulate person-centered planning and Arduin’s foray into tying in SIS scores with indicators that assess the overall quality of life of an individual. Read more and comment at http://www.siswebsite.org/cs/SISwhitepaper/Individualserviceplans.

“Psychometric Properties of the Supports Intensity Scale” updates the readers on four studies testing the reliability and validity of SIS in the United States (with the original English SIS); Canada (French SIS); and the Netherlands (Dutch SIS). All three studies point to the need for training professionals on the use of Supports Intensity Scale to obtain reliable and accurate assessment results. Read and comment at
http://www.siswebsite.org/cs/SISwhitepaper/Psychometricproperties.

Since its publication, the Supports Intensity Scale has evoked considerable interest worldwide and currently, the Scale is available in ten languages. The White Paper on “International Implementation of the Supports Intensity Scale” contains discussions from experts from Canada, Catalonia, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Taiwan on the challenges arising from translating and adapting a planning tool to a different cultural context. Read and comment at http://www.siswebsite.org/cs/SISwhitepapers/Internationalimplementation.